Healthy Chancellor Ready to Bring Boom for Seahawks

In case the rest of the league needed another reason to fear playing the Seattle Seahawks, here's a news flash: Kam Chancellor is fully recovered from his offseason hip surgery. And he could be even better now that the much-needed procedure has finally been done.

Chancellor, a Second-Team All-Pro selection at strong safety in 2013, admitted in an interview on Tuesday afternoon with ESPN 710 Seattle's "Bob and Groz" show that it's been challenging for him to play through a hip injury in all four of his previous seasons with the team. He felt like he struggled coming in and out of breaks while covering receivers down field, but now fully healed, he's excited to see how he performs upon his return to action.

"It's kind of scary," Chancellor said while addressing his return from injury. "Literally, it's really kind of scary. That's where it's kind of taking me to when I think about it - that 'dark place' where I just feel powerful, like nothing can stop me."

Opponents may not want to see the level that this "dark place" can take Chancellor's game, as he's already been one of the best all-around safeties in the NFL since arriving as a fifth round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2010. In four seasons with the Seahawks, he has become known as an enforcer for the "Legion of Boom," making 320 tackles and providing several highlight-reel hits during his tenure. "Bam Bam," as his teammates call him, gives defensive coordinator Dan Quinn great flexibility because he tackles like a linebacker and covers like a corner.

Chancellor returned to practice on Monday and has remained limited as he works his way back into game shape. It's highly unlikely that he will suit up on Thursday night when the Seahawks open the preseason against the Denver Broncos, but he looks at himself as a "machine" that needs to get back on the field with his teammates and battle, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the lineup to see some snaps by the second preseason game. The team may opt to play it safe and wait until later to bring him back, but his progress looks like a good omen heading towards the regular season.

While recent hits like the ones laid upon Vernon Davis and Demaryius Thomas have given Chancellor notoriety, improved movement thanks to his surgically-repaired hip should allow him to bring even more power as a tackler and be quicker to adjust to receivers in coverage. Considering how dominant he has been playing with a bum hip, that's simply a scary proposition for the rest of the league.